US welcomes Saudi terror arrests

AM - Saturday, 28 April , 2007 08:07:31

Reporter: Barney Porter

TANYA NOLAN: Overseas now, and the US State Department has welcomed news that Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 170 suspected al-Qaeda militants, with some accused of plotting airborne suicide attacks on oil facilities and army bases.

Saudi police say they have also seized weapons, and several millions of dollars from seven armed cells.

The news comes as the Pentagon announces that it has one of al-Qaeda's highest-ranking operatives in custody, at Guantanamo Bay.

This report from Barney Porter.

BARNEY PORTER: Saudi security sources say the group includes Saudis and many young Arabs and Africans, who were detained over a period of several months.

They say their targets were to be Government oil facilities, police and military bases, intelligence installations and senior Saudi officials.

They also say some of the suspects had gone abroad to train to fly aircraft, to carry out attacks similar to September 11.

The Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman, General Mansur al-Turki:

MANSUR AL-TURKI: Saudis and non-Saudis were involved, and the formation of about seven different terrorist cells which planned to target many activities in Saudi Arabia - one of them is to target the oil field installation and also oil refineries. They also had in mind to target some army bases inside the Kingdom and outside the Kingdom.

BARNEY PORTER: Saudi television has shown footage of security personnel searching a house, and finding suitcases full of cash, computers and communication equipment, and machine guns.

It's one of the largest swoops announced by Saudi Arabia, which has been battling suspected al-Qaeda militants since they launched a wave of shootings and bombings, many targeting Westerners, in early 2003.

Mamoun Fandy is from the International Institute of Strategic Studies:

MAMOUN FANDY: Well, the sweep is part of actually King Abdullah's new strategic direction of prevention that he's taken since he assumed the throne in 2005. But also why now it's very important, shows that the Saudis are certainly cooperating with other intelligence agencies.

BARNEY PORTER: US State Department spokesman Tom Casey has welcomed the Saudi announcement.

TOM CASEY: It's important that they and other countries continue to do everything they can, not only to try and deal with those who are responsible for acts of violence, but to break up those cells and break up those individuals who are intending to commit acts of violence or who in any other way, whether through financial means or otherwise, are supporting terror networks.

BARNEY PORTER: At the same time, US authorities are celebrating another success, announcing a top al-Qaeda commander who led operations in Afghanistan has been captured.

They allege Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi had also plotted the assassination of Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf. A Pentagon spokesman says he's been taken to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, after being intercepted as he was trying to reach Iraq.